Gordon Ownby is a Los Angeles-based photographer with a special interest in urban scenes and nature -- and the tension between the two.

Early experience includes serving as the photo editor for the California State University, Northridge Associated Students newspaper and running the B&W darkroom at The Los Angeles Daily Journal. Formal training includes public-program coursework at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and workshops with accomplished artists.

In the off-hours of a career as a lawyer in the health care field, Ownby photographed on the streets of Los Angeles, images which culminated in the project, “Never Idle.” Current projects include “Anthropo[s]cenes,” color photography incorporating man-made elements in traditional landscape tropes, and "We Obsere Nature Only With Its Permission," intimate glimpses of flora and fauna within parks and preserves near metropolitan areas.

Group Shows, Exhibits & Articles

“Cityscapes, Landscapes & In Between” - J. Ferrari Gallery, Los Angeles, 2007

“Figure It Out” - J. Ferrari Gallery, Los Angeles, 2008

“Life Cycles” - Los Angeles Center of Photography, 2023

"Catch Birds in Habitat" - Interview in 2021 on photographing California native birds.

Some Words on Digital Technology 

Though I started photography using film and a traditional darkroom (and I still shoot with film for special projects), I use digital workflow tools to assist in creating impactful photographs. I use photography software to shade, highlight, and tone images, adjust exposure, colors, contrast, and sharpness, adjust digital "noise" and "grain," correct lens distortion, and upscale digital files. No element within my photographs has been added, moved, or removed (other than incident to cropping or shading) using digital technology.